[Devoted1]

"Consumed: Release The Burdens"
By: Zach Wood
Psalm 68:19
Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.


If you are anything like me, you allow yourself to be weighed down by things going on around you. Whether it's a situation you're dealing with, a person you're trying to deal with, or just a mix of different situations and things going on around you, these things will wear you down. As I write this devotional, I am reminded of how much I have been consumed lately in my own life with things that should be laid at the feet of God. It's not that God wants me to forget about them and not deal with them at all, but rather He wants them so that He can bring me peace and give me the direction I need through the situations. I know I'm always going to be dealing with people, situations and many other things my ministry life and personal life bring. But the way I choose to deal with these things each day is up to me. I can either let myself become totally consumed by them or lay them down at His feet and allow Him to take weight He never meant for me to carry.

When we carry so much at one time by ourselves, we end up worrying and that totally throws our focus and concentration out the window. No wonder we become so stressed and worn out.

Look with me at the past part of this verse, "who daily bears our burdens". This part of the verse really struck me. Why? Because I realize that it's not saying weekly, monthly or yearly. I need to "daily" give my burdens and concerns over to God and let Him control my day. Life is busy enough without us trying to take on all that's going on around us by ourselves.

I don't know about you, but I'm sure thankful and glad that God is able to take our burdens each day so that we're not dealing with things alone. Do you find yourself consumed today or this whole week with something or many things? Take some time to go to God in prayer, alone by yourself, and just give your burdens to Him. This is not to say that everything will be perfect and run smoothly with no problems. But it will release you from bearing the burdens alone. It's so easy to become consumed and we shouldn't stay that way when we realize it's happened.

If you are dealing with many burdens and weights today, I would encourage you to check out Max Lucado's book, "Traveling Light". It's a fantastic book describing how we need to release burdens we were never meant to carry. It feels so much better to release concerns and worries to God and allow Him to guide us and direct us. That way, we can concentrate on the many things we need to do in our daily routine while still keeping focused on God and not being consumed.